Schools
More and more district families requesting financial help
By PAMELA WILLIS
Published: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 5:44 AM EST
Hard times and holidays shouldn't go hand in hand, but the number of Worthington children and families in need of help is getting "extreme," said district nurse Kathy Segal.

"This year, we have had children coming to school without coats and warm clothing on a regular basis," Segal said. "We have been constantly faced with the challenge of finding coats, hats and gloves for our children.

"The nurses are getting calls daily from families that are in need of help."

Segal and the other nurses who work for Worthington City Schools are busy helping those families through the district's annual Adopt a Family effort.

"The nurses have placed 165 Worthington families with holiday sponsors this year," she said. "Last I counted, the families include 480 kids."

Segal said 34 different sponsoring groups are raising funds and buying food and gifts for the families, with St. Michael Church as the largest sponsor.

Other sponsors are Worthington Kilbourne High School, Evening Street and Wilson Hill elementary schools, and numerous other classrooms, families, teacher, staff and even groups that gather to play the dice game bunko, Segal said.

The nurses identify needy families in each of the buildings and mail them an application to participate. The families who would like help during the holidays fill out a wish list for each of their children and identify other pressing family needs, Segal said.

"This year, more than any other, the wish lists of our children and families are often for necessities such as food, shampoo, toothbrushes, underwear and socks, even mouse traps," Segal said. "Though our children still request a couple of toys, you see a real shift to wishes for more simple daily needs."

Adopt a Family is in its 13th year in the district, Segal said.

"We started out helping a few families a year with a holiday meal," she said. "It then grew to helping about 10 families a year with gifts and food. The project has continued to grow. In the past four years, we have been serving more than 100 families per year.

"This year has been by far the highest number to request help," Segal said. "The number of families in our community that are living in poverty has increased drastically over the past few years. Many of them cry tears of relief and joy to find out someone is helping them."

Worthington Kilbourne kids are breaking into piggy banks and emptying pockets to try to raise $7,000 to sponsor 62 of the children said Ralph King, student activities coordinator.

On Dec. 9, King said "we're a little over halfway there," as far as funds collected.

"The kids will go shopping on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Meijer and Target and will be wrapping gifts for the children in the school commons the next morning," he said.

Segal said the larger sponsors, such as St. Michael and Kilbourne High School, coordinate the shopping and delivery of packages, while nurses help the smaller groups with pickup and delivery to the families.

"Each year, we also get other community organizations that would like to donate food baskets, pajamas and other items for our children and families, and the nurses also help to make sure the items get to the appropriate families," she said.

The Adopt a Family effort will continue, Segal said.

"This is what the holidays are all about," she said. "It's fun to see so many sponsors coming forward and get excited about helping our families. Everyone recognizes the need and have really wanted to help."

Segal said the holidays aren't the only times local families need help.

"Though the nurses have now passed our deadlines for filling holiday requests, we are still able to help many needy families find assistance for food and other emergency supplies," she said.

"The number of families in our community that are living in poverty has increased drastically over the past few years. Many of them cry tears of relief and joy to find out someone is helping them."

--Kathy Segal




Copyright © 2008 - Columbus Local News